Robert Shrives

I can only echo the comments - a great day had today and enjoyed sound fitted locos on Moretonhampstead. Ivybridge was a layout to watch the trains go by but the viaduct was amazing. The track behind the viewable scene was a real eye opener - a pointless system of return loops that was multilevel and allowed trains to be queued up automatically advancing towards the viewer - an inspired solution. As I said to Nick at N Brass time to take up knitting having seen the models on show today, I am inspired but in awe of the work done by so many, so well ! Thanks to all involved and a brilliant venue, the LMS ghosts surely enjoyed the weekend as well- despite a GWR majority showing. "Modern image" not forgotten with diesels at St Ruth and the display of fine scale conversion and etches on display by Steve Nicholls- a world beyond my abilities I enjoyed the Diamond Jubilee challenge layouts - all winners in their own way and the most inspiring of the day showing how much modelling love ca go into 60cm X 9.42 inches.. Robert

Hi What is the back to back for 10.5 mm gauge - I have some 6mm dia 2mmfs wheels on 15.2 mm axles and was wondering ? Not asking for a friend but looking to disappear down Irish 2mmfs worm hole... I have rails and sleepers as a start and thinking on how to covert some farish MK2 into AC stock - need to sort A or 071.. Robert

I really hope these home grown products sell well, offering a great kit and parts that can be adapted with of course a good company products first. A timeless series of designs and the Western ones offer great promise. The Tie in with the NG world makes the L&B ones an inspired choice with use on every freelance line. I look forward to the next releases and harnessing 3d print for parts does make shrink ray requests much more achievable -time will tell if we see support for other scales. Robert

Indeed a brilliant layout until my cat wrecked it. Sad to report it is now just a set of bare boards, the buildings survived for a while but age took hold of the plasticard so now only most of the loco shed remains. The station building disappeared while on display at Minffordd after a gala so hopefully the owner still enjoys it. Looking forward to the new track and how it will help all 12mm track users - fiddle yards for some, main tracks for others in the3mm world and then in the 1:120 world new layouts suited to the smaller home.

All being well see you Sunday Robert

Hi I thought much the same with 754 but sadly the chop guys had adapted front wiring recesses on conversion and in the undergubbins swapped from 3 pipe to 2 pipe for demu operation but in 4mm we can gloss over that technical carnage. But certainly it makes good for 80class fun in the future. Hopefully the 80 Class will be offered as a power car on its own and then select trailers and drivers to match. The sandite set with three powercars will be a force to recon with unless some dummies made up. I can see the plan for buying 80 class will result in donating organs if they are going to be one off short run affair. ... Robert

Mine landed very quickly after second payments sent and they do look good. I have yet to fettle the bogies for free rotation but undoing will allow a good run I am sure. the NSE 321 is great and reopens the memory banks of "little Londons" in plats 1- 3 at Birmingham New St back in the 1990`s while I guarded slam door 117s on the cross city routes. My second 320 in Strathclyde will be a mate to the limited run Scottish Model railway show release. Thanks gents Robert

The other standout rural loco shed for me was Buxton having visited overnight back in the 1970s - albeit loads of 104 bogcarts running creating a blue haze in the flood lighting. All gone now it seems and at least two renditions in N gauge I have seen. I am sure many more others will name and yes the locos in blue era do have regional bias and going with what you have makes sense given some of the current new models price tags.- he says eyeing up an N gauge 08 in the Kernow flag at over a £100.. - it is basically "£100 per inch" pricing. Robert

Perhaps a home for stone sector Yeoman/Hanson/ ARC/ Mendip rail sort of operations - would allow a wagon or three in for unbending? or if blue era then the predecessors of stone ops - may be a western or three. Robert

Hi , Both great ideas , but just musing on the loco depot, with a double slip off the king point you could come off shed to fuel road no2 and then depart leaving loco in headshunt - which perhaps would be better if a pair of 20s or rats could be accommodated given the frequent paring of the "things". This would allow A exam servicing on shed road one and long term demics on 2 and 3 shed roads with stabling outside on the apron as view blockers perhaps. Robert

No pics yet but some progress on NIR Gatwicks with three on the bench. Just need to sort rebuilding as nearly 50% decals on stripes on bodysides. Some progress on DBSO - albeit it was in real world never used and 8911 gen coach has been stripped following a masking tape foul.. Robert

I have to agree with above comments. The double slip and turnout giving a facing connection into a short dead end bay would be unlikely given the fear of facing connections many old companies had "back in the day." The bay could be a trailing connection only. It might be good to have the outer line have trailing connection just right of the bridge back into the goods yard, single slip in main line to give a trailing crossover. A second trailing crossover nearer platforms would then allow a terminating local service the ability to run round and shunt into the outer bay line. The facing crossover into the loop / goods yard shunt neck might be a good idea if loop was long enough to hold a coal train or similar but as it is short then likely to be a trailing connection only/ not there at all. Worth checking out some of the older OPC books with track plans to see how older companies got around all the fun of smaller stations and avoiding facing points. Robert

Sharp quality modelling, rivet detail is excellent on smoke box, yes shame to paint but necessary if you are to run it. I wish I could half as good ! This was indeed a lucky find. Robert

Hi To add my unit came back from Mike and now runs well. The flickering on the trailers has almost stopped with running in. I have added a micro dot of super glue to the coupler where the connection box clips in. I have also had bodies apart and have put a dot of yellow paint from a paint pen on the LEDS to tone down the white back towards a florescent tube yellow. Set has been running for around 50 minutes - on both inner and outer circuits of Templedean. A slight adjustment to one driver trailer to give a bit more slack on a wire on the coupler and all is fine. Mike did suggest checking b2b and I have eased a couple sets by around 0.2 mm - the muff a tad short perhaps but certainly a happy bunny now . Just waiting on the painful advice of invoice to pay for my 321 in NSE. Robert

This looks to be "shaping up" really well but just seeing the cab makes me think of K-9 off Dr. Who - or is just me. I wonder which influenced the shape.. Robert

Peters Spares sells a replacement wheel set on lima axle lenghts - used loads on lima B4s - a very good wheel set . Also I have used Shawplan etched widow frames and Brian has now provided some lazer glaze window units for the lima MK2b models - the come with idea of removing plastic from windows and frames.and laying in glazing and using varnish to fix frame- being stainless a good rendition of metal frame given. The opener slider is a sep part with a glazing so a bit fiddly but solvable. great work shown and certainly helps provide a value for money solution to the current situation of body part donations to pay for new trains ! Robert

Two useful links for a newly released replacement part from peters spares. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334369410438?hash=item4dd9f84d86:g:4e0AAOSwThpiNGMC Link to Peters spares for finer wheels for lima locos £9 a pair of axles and also on https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334369410571?hash=item4dd9f84e0b:g:El0AAOSwGxpiNGMI this one £8 for non geared. As good as drop in replacements - on middle idler set on power bogie I used a gear puller to remove wheel and extract axle, then used knife to cut slot so wheel set a light force fit into axle hole. trailer wheel are live axle and one bushed wheel - just need to ensure correct fit. A bit of white grease on bearings and gears fine to go. Ok it is still a lima model with a pancake motor but it gives a quick and for around £30 a new lease of life over a arm and leg / organ sale priced MM201 ( they are lovely... of course and thee is always the Limna 201 for £279 on ebay .... Robert

David, It is the confluence of two customer "demands": close coupling/ auto adjusting cam assisted to cope with "train set curves" and single dcc gizmoitus with all bells and whistles. It as you say limit testing stuff. I would drop the cam couplers and take a bigger gap on straight track. N vehicles just do not have the mass to take the mechanical reaction required, 4mm does so much better in this respect, with 4 wheel wagons on the limit. Sometimes simpler is just that bit better. Have to say while I enjoy building kits etc many do not and want the best from the box, I really would not want to be a manufacturer in this day and age so hats of to all that bring models or anything to market. Robert

David, Mike who does the warranty repairs has looked at my returned Model rail scotland unit which had the same issues as yours - check out contact details in the model booklet, has been very quick with repairs and sent an email with 8 pictures showing how the couplings should look if ok for coupling up. Mine had bogies to tight but farings fitted ok, once bogies screws back off a turn each ran freely and motor car was brilliant. Once coupled motor and one driver ran perfectly in all directions and easily around Templedean curves. However it that the other car the coupler was dropping vertically and not neatly fixed I carefully used tweezers supplied and got it coupled to the motor car - but any curve and it was "off across the field." I await return of unit which has been repaired rather than replaced so time will tell. Revoultion are rock and hard place with the couplers as they are needed if only a single chip to be used on an MU which has lighting etc. I guess otherwise it will mean a prefitted chip in every board that can work with DC perfectly- regardless of how it is regulated and provided to rail. Which is a bit getting a lion from a zoo putting back into the wild and offering it a vegan burger for variation of outcomes over which there is no control but the zoo will always be to blame. Cretainly I am sure it is something that vexes the massed brains trust at the bunker for other models in the forthcoming ranges. Robert

The bottom could simply be a piece of black cloth stapled on. Some will tell you of the awful sound a model makes as it drops to a floor followed by the awful sound from the modeler! Robert

Hope ballasting works out ok ! I guess we have all been there in someway on another. I suggest a bottom might be useful under the traverser if the worst was to happen and stock topple off the floor currently makes the next contact point... might not buff out. Happy modelling and great progress so far. Robert

If Barwell want my ten pence worth on steam locos how about a brand new S&D 7F... Hopefully doing the mk2 of all variants in tour liveries is part of the plan given the preserved liveries being offered- a master plan and easy to research with in a small radius from the offices. And we all love a railtour as excuse for the rule one purchase ... or time travel perhaps. Still good to see some progress in additional 37 liveries this time around.

Hopefully somebody clever and in charge will get the nod to do a 2000 run of the MK2 air con TSO as a surprise move. Robert

I suspect this would be a case of herding fog or nailing blancmange to ceilings in trying to get a consensus, but fun nevertheless. Robert

Certainly the grey 37 will give the repainters a good starting point given bare bodies are not going to happen. The bogies are certainly a boost for coaches. N soc gets my support for wagon bogies . I do wonder if the dmu bogie could be added if Barwell are reading this. 37116 is great to see always amused me it lasted so long.. Lovett`s lamb made me laugh and good to see humour still available in N gauge. Robert